Latest Interviews

Iran Conflict: How Long, and How Bad?

Sanam Vakil, Dennis Ross, Kevin Donegan, Alison Nathan

Entering its fourth week, the Iran conflict has evolved into a regime-survival struggle where Tehran seeks to spread costs widely while the U.S. military targets Iran's missile capabilities and nuclear program. Strategic deadlock persists over the Strait of Hormuz, as limited convoy operations can only restore roughly 20% of normal oil flows despite rehearsed allied defenses. Panelists conclude that resolving this locked-in scenario requires a mediated outcome, though recent political assassinations and the need to rebuild Iran's collapsed economy complicate any immediate return to pre-conflict stability.

From Growth to Value: Where We Are in the Equity Markets

Lou Miller, Liz

Led by market strategist Liz, the discussion outlines an ongoing economic rotation from high-multiple growth stocks to value sectors as vaccine rollouts and reopening drives higher interest rates and commodity prices. The analysis highlights that the market is only halfway through this transition, with significant opportunities remaining in energy, materials, and industrials as U.S. GDP peaks and European or emerging market trades remain in early stages. While retail investor behavior and potential inflation risks pose short-term volatility, the narrative expects sustained performance in "growth at a reasonable price" stocks driven by the anticipated U.S. infrastructure plan and global economic recovery over the next six months.

The Evolution of the Online Food Delivery Industry

Heath Terry, Liz

Goldman Sachs Research identifies online food delivery as a sector where pandemic-accelerated adoption has created sticky demand, driving a shift from pure food logistics to broader last-mile services through partnerships with retailers like Walmart and Macy's. While the industry faces labor supply shifts and regulatory costs regarding driver classification, market leaders are transitioning toward operational rationalization to escape hyper-competitive pricing models. This strategic evolution signals a maturation phase where companies aim to stabilize usage frequency and improve long-term profitability by scaling networks rather than relying on loss-leading customer acquisition.

Thematic Growth Opportunities

Luke Barrs, Liz

Following a $50 billion Q1 outflow, global equity flows have reversed as investors pivot toward thematic strategies amidst a landscape where over half of all companies face low growth. This strategic shift targets four key megatrends: cross-sector technological advancement, the spending power of 2.3 billion millennials, plummeting costs enabling precision medicine, and sustainability-driven circular economies. Regional dynamics further shape this outlook, with the EU directing half of its recovery funds to green initiatives and China's shifting economic weight accelerating domestic tech listings in genomics and environmental sectors.

10,000 Small Businesses UK Female Founders on Running a Business

Harriet, Anna, Michal Silver, Rachel

Founders Harriet, Anna, Michal Silver, and Rachel Jackson discuss strategies for navigating entrepreneurial challenges, emphasizing the importance of emotional transparency with investors and reframing difficulties as opportunities for growth. The panelists outline specific tactics for maintaining work-life balance, such as strict digital boundaries and context separation, while offering tailored advice on funding, personnel strategy, and sustaining passion. Their dialogue highlights a shared belief that viewing challenges as solvable problems is a distinct trait among solo female founders who leverage investor relationships for both strategic guidance and emotional reassurance.

Perspectives from our UK Technology Degree Apprentices

Holly, Karina, Martin, Paul, Sephora

Five diverse apprentices spanning three years of the firm's program discuss how their roles evolved from foundational learning to delivering production-ready projects in fields ranging from trading market data to investment banking technology. Through a robust support system that includes mentors and diversity networks, participants navigate a flat organizational culture that values their insights while balancing rigorous technical exposure with mandatory work-life balance strategies. Ultimately, the cohort endorses the scheme as a transformative alternative to traditional university pathways, highlighting the unique advantage of graduating with an established internal network and hands-on experience in the full software development lifecycle.

Reimagining Education: Ted Dintersmith and Abby Falik

Ted Dintersmith, Abby Falik

Ted Dintersmith and Abby Fallick warn that the current education system creates a dangerous misalignment with the real world by prioritizing standardized testing and irrelevant content over the adaptability and leadership skills required for future survival. In response, successful reform models are emerging that replace traditional metrics with competency-based portfolios, real-world problem solving, and transformative "launch years" that foster maturity and purpose before university enrollment. These initiatives, supported by major universities and non-profits like Global Citizen Year, aim to redefine success by prioritizing power skills such as empathy and creativity to prepare students for a rapidly evolving global landscape.

Helping Small Businesses Grow: Views from 10,000 Small Businesses

Steve Strongin, Amanda Hindlian, John F.W. Rogers, Kevin McCarthy, Tyler Perry, Danny Meyer, Sarah Kauss, Wilbur L. Ross, Sara Blakely, Michael Bloomberg, Gina Raimondo, Rick Snyder, Marco Rubio, Lloyd Blankfein, Richard Branson, Warren Buffett

Over 100 small business owners across 18 states identified inconsistent regulations, labor shortages, and restricted capital access as critical barriers preventing economic growth and expansion. Participants detailed how bureaucratic complexity and frequent policy shifts force entrepreneurs to liquidate personal assets and divert resources from hiring to compliance, while survey data indicates that doubled financing availability would boost employment by 30%. To address these systemic issues, advocates propose establishing centralized credentialing systems and shifting toward cooperative compliance windows rather than punitive measures.

Talks at GS – The Story of Historically Black Colleges and Universities & Race Relations in America

Stanley Nelson, Jr., Dr. Wayne Frederick, Johnny Taylor, Jr.

Documentary director Stanley Nelson and current Howard University president, the 17th and seventh Black individual to lead the institution, discuss the historical necessity and modern evolution of HBCUs, highlighting their role in transforming legal prohibitions against Black literacy into a premier engine for professional mobility. The conversation details how political pragmatism, exemplified by General Howard's 1867 chartering by President Andrew Johnson and Speaker Paul Ryan's restoration of federal funding cuts, has allowed 101 institutions to produce the majority of Black physicians and dentists despite a contemporary 40-year decline in Black male medical school applications. Ultimately, the speakers argue that maintaining access to these "unbridled opportunities" requires leaders to navigate complex political landscapes without compromising their identity, thereby ensuring HBCUs continue to provide the societal change that began during Reconstruction.

Talks at GS – David Eagleman: The Neuroscience of Creativity

David Eagleman, David Rockefeller Jr., Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Levine Jr., Dan Coffey Jr., Dan Collins

This analysis redefines human creativity as an evolutionary advantage rooted in the prefrontal cortex's capacity for hypothesis testing rather than physical traits, identifying three universal cognitive operations—break, blend, and bend—as the fundamental drivers of innovation. By shifting educational and economic focus from rote memorization to cognitive flexibility, individuals and organizations can leverage the collective intelligence of 8 billion brains to navigate a transitioning creativity economy. Ultimately, success in this new era requires actively dismantling past successes and tolerating failure to generate novel solutions that artificial intelligence currently cannot replicate.

Talks at GS – Eddie Huang: Food, Culture, Identity

Eddie Huang

Executive Producer and author Nahnatchka Khan reflects on her memoir *Fresh Off the Boat* and the television adaptation as pivotal moments in transitioning from defensive survival mechanisms to intentional identity formation. She critiques the show for diluting authentic Asian experiences into universal white narratives while rejecting the "model minority" stereotype through her personal journey of culinary preservation and leadership at her restaurant, Bauhaus. Ultimately, she advocates for a cultural shift that prioritizes shared humanity over differences, utilizing a management philosophy that blends high performance with deep personal care to foster genuine employee loyalty.

10,000 Small Businesses UK Participants Share Experiences of Time on Programme

Launched in 2012, this intensive program guided struggling entrepreneurs through a rigorous diagnostic process that identified critical financial leaks and strategic pivots from B2B to B2C models. By pairing founders with growth experts and fostering a transparent cohort of vetted peers, participants transformed their ventures from loss-making entities into cash-positive businesses generating up to £1.5 million in revenue. The initiative delivered a transformative return on investment, enabling companies to hire strategically, secure major capital projects, and establish a lasting support network that continues to drive long-term operational efficiency.

The Social and Economic Impact of Evolving Family Dynamics: Talks at GS Session Highlights

Stew Friedman, Betsey Stevenson, Neera Tanden, Betsy, Stu, Claudia Golden

This event analyzes the structural transition from specialized to equal partnership models in family life, highlighting how multi-generational caregiving burdens and shifting fertility trends among Millennials and Gen X are outpacing current U.S. support systems. Speakers detail the economic consequences of these dynamics, demonstrating that closing the gender labor gap could boost GDP by nearly 10% while corporate work-family policies drive market appreciation and long-term wage growth for the next generation. The discussion concludes with a strategic call for a federal paid leave floor and a cultural realignment of corporate expectations to secure sustainable economic growth and social stability.